Name Your Credentials

[Yelnoc]

What is everyone's credentials on politics, economics, and other current events?  Please explain why I or anyone else on the forum should take your opinions seriously.  I'll be honest; I'm just a teen with some opinions.  A fairly well-read and informed person, but one with little experience in the "real world".  How about you?

Prompted by this exchange:

Got to love the armchair experts in this thread Atlas.

Seriously. Outside the 3 or 4 actual professionals here, doesn't that constitute all of us?

[TeePee4Prez]

-  Have helped out on political campaigns

-  Involved with the Young Democrats for a while

-  Both private and public sector work experience

I'm not going to pretend to be James Carville or Robert Reich, but my opinions on matters are just as important.  Sure, their opinions are better formulated, but many so called "economists' opinions vary widely.  When looking at economic history, valid arguments can be made for both Keynesian and Chicago/Austrian/Friedman policies.  Keynesian economics, which is mostly espouse to, definitely has the pitfall of stagflation is certain circumstances.  Likewise, the "Chicago Boys" style which Pinochet tried in Chile produced rapid growth early in the regime, but many suffered as a result.   

[Torie]

None.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I'm an Amurican.......and a voter.

[J. J.]

Managed several local campaigns, was a research director for the local GOP Committee, elected to local office three times (three different governments).  Some of my current consulting has involved governments/party groups.

Welfare caseworker for five years; was a member of SEIU and served as shop representative.

Undergraduate degree in public administration (Public Service) and a minor in economics.  Yes, I do have an academic background in elementary statistics and public opinion surveys.

Known as both a blogger on a missing person case and a writer of scholarly articles.  First or second most published living author in my field in the latter.

Reasonable?

[Joe Republic]

You forgot about your MENSA bumper sticker, J. J.

[Hash]

I'm a polisci student, I'm well-read on stuff which interests me, I have a major successful blog on elections, I like to read political books on topics which interest me, I obsess over the politics of a country for a year or two to the point where I know way too much about said place and I've worked for a political campaign. Though none of that stuff is all that important, I'm mostly a person with too much time on his hands who gets high off stuff which nobody give's a rat's ass about such as the different streams of thought within the Galician Nationalist Bloc or the various factions of Canarian nationalism.

[Rowan]

I voted.

[J. J.]

You forgot about your MENSA bumper sticker, J. J.

I actually don't list Mensa on my consulting resume.  It is on my general one, but since I'm basically unemployable, it gets very little use.

BTW, ask Gramps; he can verify most of this stuff.

[Franzl]

I'm an Amurican.......and a voter.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

I'm an Amurican.......and a voter.

And a pretty intense student of history

[Paul Kemp]

Governor of a large state.

[Lief 🗽]

I got an A in intro to macroeconomics and a 1510 on my SAT.

[J. J.]

I got an A in intro to macroeconomics and a 1510 on my SAT.

I think my economics grades were higher than my major, ironically.

I think my final SAT was 1090 or 1190, back when 1600 was a perfect score; it wasn't anything to write home about.  My ACT was above 30, but none of the schools I wanted to apply to used it.

[anvi]

I corrupt the youth...on the very rare occasions I can hold their attention.

[tpfkaw]

I'm almost certainly smarter than you and my SAT was higher than Lief's.

[Paul Kemp]

I'm almost certainly smarter than you and my SAT was higher than Lief's.

Nope.

[Yelnoc]

I'm almost certainly smarter than you and my SAT was higher than Lief's.

SAT isn't a very good measure of intelligence.  I made a 1600 (out of 2400 IIRC) on the SAT when I took it as a 7th grader.  But I don't think I'm much smarter than the average person.

[KEmperor]

I was elected King of Town for life back in 2004.  I also maintain a large harem of scantily clad women between the ages of 20-30.

[J. J.]

I'm almost certainly smarter than you and my SAT was higher than Lief's.

SAT isn't a very good measure of intelligence.  I made a 1600 (out of 2400 IIRC) on the SAT when I took it as a 7th grader.  But I don't think I'm much smarter than the average person.

I frankly don't think IQ test are particularly meaningful.  I'm in Mensa, but 6,258,000 other Americans qualify.  It is slightly rarer to be from Missouri.

[TJ in Oregon]

I'm a chemical engineering student and have never been part of a campaign for anything (though that may change in the near future if I still live in Cleveland next year and the candidates in OH-10 are Dennis Kucinich and Rob Frost). I've paid close attention to politics for most of my life, inspired by my Dad who is a small business owner and my Mom who is a unionized public school teacher and has been on strike before. The general framework of my views is established and won't change anytime soon, but I seek rational and practical solutions to problems and want politicians who do the same, particularly those who share my worldviews. I see things through a primarily conservative lense with some communitarian elements to it as well.

My research work is entirely in the field of liquid crystals, which as of now has no relationship to politics whatsoever. As far as engineers go, I am fairly well-rounded. I managed a 33 on the ACT five years ago, helped by my strengths in math and science but not too bad in other areas either. I took the GRE and got a 660 on the verbal and an 800 on the math (94th precentile in both for what it's worth). I've taken a few econ classes and have a basic understanding of that too. I can do math competently. I am no political professional by any means, but also not an idiot.

And yes, I am a voter in the state of Ohio.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

I like to masturbate a lot, live with my parents and can grow a beard. You can't find a combination like that anywhere else.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I study Political Science (finished my 1st year).

Nothing else, I guess. However, I've been interested in politics since I was 10 or 11.

[opebo]

I like to masturbate a lot, live with my parents and can grow a beard. You can't find a combination like that anywhere else.

Please define 'a lot'.

As for me, well, I have the only credential that really matters. 

[specific_name]

I have a BA in History, graduated summa and masturbate a lot (as above).